Dr Lewis Winkler: Summative Project Reflection

 

Below is a short reflection by Dr Lewis Winkler about what the graduating cohort had experienced at EAST:

The Summative Project gives graduating students the opportunity to reflect upon and share about what God has taught, wrought, and accomplished in and through them during the course of their studies at EAST.

This year, students shared what they learned about the Bible, including how to more accurately understand it and appreciate the original languages, how to creatively apply it with sensitivity and wisdom within their cultural contexts, and how to communicate it to others with clarity, relevance, and passion.  They also shared how they learned to plan and lead more strategically in the ministries to which God has called them.

Another very formative aspect many mentioned was the cross-cultural experiences they enjoyed both in Singapore and abroad on ministry weekends and overseas internships.  Mentoring groups of faculty and students provided a relational context to become close friends with people from many different cultures and countries, helping them to learn how to resolve conflicts and relate to and love people very different from themselves.

They also experienced an increased heart for the lost and a deeper conviction to help fulfill the Great Commission and share the gospel relevantly and clearly with all who will listen.  As a result of their witness, several had seen people place their faith in Jesus Christ during their time at EAST.

But even beyond the increased knowledge and ministry skills, every student shared from the heart about the profound ways God had done a work in their life and grown their Christian character.  Everyone mentioned the examples of humility they observed not only from the life and death of Jesus but also in the lives of faculty, staff, and even fellow students at EAST.  One way this was demonstrated was by the faculty genuinely sharing their lives and struggles with the students, spending time with them and praying together with and for them.  They also observed faculty and staff regularly serving to meet the needs of others and show frequent acts of hospitality.

Above all, students reflected on the many ways God had shown His goodness and faithfulness to them, whether it meant financial provision, healing from serious illness, having courage and wisdom for challenging ministry opportunities, or simply through the ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) demands of everyday life.  This built into them a deep confidence and conviction that God truly is loving and trustworthy, that He will continue to care and provide for them as they venture out into the next phase of life and ministry God has for them.